Taken 2007 August 12 from the water off Finlay Point
GPS 46°08.5??'N 61°28.5??'W
Cnoc Aitein is left of centre in this view. In the centre of this view, also quite new to me, one can see the valley through which the Cul Na Beinne (Beyond the Mountain) Trail (MacKinnons Brook Lane) makes its way as it follows Mill Brook to the east and MacIsaacs Glen Brook to the northeast (thereafter, it climbs to the north over a col, and then follows MacKinnons Brook as it descends northwestwards to MacKinnons Brook Trail Head, the Meadows, and MacKinnons Brook Mouth). This trail is the easiest way to get from the Mabou Post Road Trail Head to MacKinnons Brook Mouth (though it is hardly effortless), in the sense that it involves the least amount of climbing (about half that involved with the Beinn Alasdair Bhain Trail, which is the same distance, 3 km (1.9 mi)).
The sections along Mill Brook and MacIsaac Glens Brook are gorgeous forest walks involving very little climbing; the brooks sing as one walks along and, if the day is sunny, sparkle brightly in the sun, filtered through the forest canopy above. When on this trail, I always make it a point to stop at the white bridge below the col to soak in the beauty of the glen in which it is located; on occasion, I have even been known to hike there just for lunch when the rest of the day doesn’t allow time for anything more. There are a couple of apple trees (whose fruit is astoundingly sour!) by the brook above the bridge which attest to the site being one of those settled by the early pioneers.
There is a look-off on the south end of the Beaton Trail, also opened in 2006, just beyond its junction with the MacPhee Trail, that offers a fine view of the mountains one sees at the right of this photo as well as to the south, from which one can make out the Colindale Shore, the Gulf of St Lawrence, and St Georges Bay. The look-off from the summit of Beinn Alasdair Bhain also affords a fine view of these mountains. Both views appear later in this essay.
The Cape Mabou plateau is again seen here as it runs straight across the centre of the photo. It is along this plateau that the MacEachen Trail runs from Sight Point to the Cape Mabou Trail Head behind Glenora Falls.